Configuring Headset Voice Morph Based on Player Assignment

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems are provided for adaptively controlling audio associated with users. In an audio system configured to output audio to a user of the system, reference data may be obtained and processed, and one or more audio control settings may be determined, based on the processing of the reference data, for adjusting audio in the system, with at least one of the one or more audio control settings configured to adjust or modify a voice associated with the user. The reference data may be obtained from a database associated with operation of the system by the user. The reference data may include a reference audio, with the reference audio being processed to determine at least one of the one or more audio control settings based on characteristics and/or parameters of the reference audio.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This patent application is a continuation of U.S. Provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 17/201,743, filed on Mar. 15, 2021, which is acontinuation of U.S. Provisional patent application Ser. No. 16/444,914,filed on Jun. 18, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. Provisionalpatent application Ser. No. 15/894,193, filed on Feb. 12, 2018, which isa continuation of U.S. Provisional patent application Ser. No.14/445,933, filed on Jul. 29, 2014, which in turn makes reference to,claims priority to and claims benefit from the U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/886,585, filed on Oct. 3, 2013, and entitled“Configuring Headset Voice Morph Based on Player Assignment.” Each ofthe above stated applications is hereby incorporated herein by referencein its entirety.

The entirety of each of the following applications is herebyincorporated herein by reference: U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/040,144 entitled “Gaming Headset with Programmable Audio” andpublished as US2012/0014553. The above stated application(s) is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Aspects of the present application relate to electronic gaming. Morespecifically, to methods and systems for configuring headset voice morphbased on player assignment.

BACKGROUND

Limitations and disadvantages of conventional approaches to audioprocessing for gaming will become apparent to one of skill in the art,through comparison of such approaches with some aspects of the presentmethod and system set forth in the remainder of this disclosure withreference to the drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Methods and systems are provided for configuring headset voice morphbased on player assignment, substantially as illustrated by and/ordescribed in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forthmore completely in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A depicts an example gaming console.

FIG. 1B depicts an example gaming audio subsystem comprising a headsetand an audio basestation.

FIG. 1C depicts the example gaming console and an associated network ofperipheral devices.

FIGS. 2A and 2B depict two views of an example embodiment of a gamingheadset.

FIG. 2C depicts a block diagram of the example headset of FIGS. 2A and2B.

FIG. 3A depicts two views of an example embodiment of an audiobasestation.

FIG. 3B depicts a block diagram of the audio basestation 400.

FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of an example multi-purpose device.

FIG. 5A depicts a block diagram illustrating an example voice morphcircuit.

FIG. 5B depicts a block diagram illustrating an example voice morphcircuit with built-in audio analyzer.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for configuringheadset voice morph based on player assignment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As utilized herein the terms “circuits” and “circuitry” refer tophysical electronic components (e.g., hardware) and any software and/orfirmware (“code”) which may configure the hardware, be executed by thehardware, and or otherwise be associated with the hardware. As usedherein, for example, a particular processor and memory may comprise afirst “circuit” when executing a first one or more lines of code and maycomprise a second “circuit” when executing a second one or more lines ofcode. As utilized herein, “and/or” means any one or more of the items inthe list joined by “and/or”. As an example, “x and/or y” means anyelement of the three-element set {(x), (y), (x, y)}. As another example,“x, y, and/or z” means any element of the seven-element set {(x), (y),(z), (x, y), (x, z), (y, z), (x, y, z)}. As utilized herein, the terms“e.g.,” and “for example” set off lists of one or more non-limitingexamples, instances, or illustrations. As utilized herein, circuitry is“operable” to perform a function whenever the circuitry comprises thenecessary hardware and code (if any is necessary) to perform thefunction, regardless of whether performance of the function is disabled,or not enabled, by some user-configurable setting.

Referring to FIG. 1 , there is shown game console 176 which may be, forexample, a Windows computing device, a Unix computing device, a Linuxcomputing device, an Apple OSX computing device, an Apple iOS computingdevice, an Android computing device, a Microsoft Xbox, a SonyPlaystation, a Nintendo Wii, or the like. The example game console 176comprises a video interface 124, radio 126, data interface 128, networkinterface 130, video interface 132, audio interface 134, southbridge150, main system on chip (SoC) 148, memory 162, optical drive 172, andstorage device 174. The SoC 148 comprises central processing unit (CPU)154, graphics processing unit (GPU) 156, audio processing unit (APU)158, cache memory 164, and memory management unit (MMU) 166. The variouscomponents of the game console 176 are communicatively coupled throughvarious busses/links 136, 128, 142, 14, 146, 152, 160, 169, and 170.

The southbridge 150 comprises circuitry that supports one or more databus protocols such as High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI),Universal Serial Bus (USB), Serial Advanced Technology Attachment 2(SATA 2), embedded multimedia card interface (e.MMC), PeripheralComponent Interconnect Express (PCIe), or the like. The southbridge 150may receive audio and/or video from an external source via link 112(e.g., HDMI), from the optical drive (e.g., Blu-Ray) 172 via link 168(e.g., SATA 2), and/or from storage 174 (e.g., hard drive, FLASH memory,or the like) via link 170 (e.g., SATA 2 and/or e.MMC). Digital audioand/or video is output to the SoC 148 via link 136 (e.g., CEA-861-Ecompliant video and IEC 61937 compliant audio). The southbridge 150exchanges data with radio 126 via link 138 (e.g., USB), with externaldevices via link 140 (e.g., USB), with the storage 174 via the link 170,and with the SoC 148 via the link 152 (e.g., PCIe).

The radio 126 comprises circuitry operable to communicate in accordancewith one or more wireless standards such as the IEEE 802.11 family ofstandards, the Bluetooth family of standards, and/or the like.

The network interface 130 may comprise circuitry operable to communicatein accordance with one or more wired standards and to convert betweenwired standards. For example, the network interface 130 may communicatewith the SoC 148 via link 142 using a first standard (e.g., PCIe) andmay communicate with the network 106 using a second standard (e.g.,gigabit Ethernet).

The video interface 132 may comprise circuitry operable to communicatevideo in accordance with one or more wired or wireless videotransmission standards. For example, the video interface 132 may receiveCEA-861-E compliant video data via link 144 and encapsulate/format/etc.,the video data in accordance with an HDMI standard for output to themonitor 108 via an HDMI link 120.

The audio interface 134 may comprise circuitry operable to communicateaudio in accordance with one or more wired or wireless audiotransmission standards. For example, the audio interface 134 may receiveCEA-861-E compliant video data via link 144 and encapsulate/format/etc.the video data in accordance with an HDMI standard for output to themonitor 108 via an HDMI link 120.

The central processing unit (CPU) 154 may comprise circuitry operable toexecute instructions for controlling/coordinating the overall operationof the game console 176. Such instructions may be part of an operatingsystem of the console and/or part of one or more software applicationsrunning on the console.

The graphics processing unit (GPU) 156 may comprise circuitry operableto perform graphics processing functions such as compression,decompression, encoding, decoding, 3D rendering, and/or the like.

The audio processing unit (APU) 158 may comprise circuitry operable toperform audio processing functions such as volume/gain control,compression, decompression, encoding, decoding, surround-soundprocessing, and/or the like to output single channel or multi-channel(e.g., 2 channels for stereo or 5, 7, or more channels for surroundsound) audio signals. The APU 158 comprises memory (e.g., volatileand/or non-volatile memory) 159 which stores parameter settings thataffect processing of audio by the APU 158. For example, the parametersettings may include a first audio gain/volume setting that determines,at least in part, a volume of game audio output by the console 176 and asecond audio gain/volume setting that determines, at least in part, avolume of chat audio output by the console 176. The parameter settingsmay be modified via a graphical user interface (GUI) of the consoleand/or via an application programming interface (API) provided by theconsole 176.

The cache memory 164 comprises high-speed memory (typically DRAM) foruse by the CPU 154, GPU 156, and/or APU 158. The memory 162 may compriseadditional memory for use by the CPU 154, GPU 156, and/or APU 158. Thememory 162, typically DRAM, may operate at a slower speed than the cachememory 164 but may also be less expensive than cache memory as well asoperate at a higher-speed than the memory of the storage device 174. TheMMU 166 controls accesses by the CPU 154, GPU 156, and/or APU 158 to thememory 162, the cache 164, and/or the storage device 174.

In FIG. 1A, the example game console 176 is communicatively coupled to auser interface device 102, a user interface device 104, a network 106, amonitor 108, and audio subsystem 110.

Each of the user interface devices 102 and 104 may comprise, forexample, a game controller, a keyboard, a motion sensor/positiontracker, or the like. The user interface device 102 communicates withthe game console 176 wirelessly via link 114 (e.g., Wi-Fi Direct,Bluetooth, and/or the like). The user interface device 102 communicateswith the game console 176 via the wired link 140 (e.g., USB or thelike).

The network 160 comprises a local area network and/or a wide areanetwork. The game console 176 communicates with the network 106 viawired link 118 (e.g., Gigabit Ethernet).

The monitor 108 may be, for example, a LCD, OLED, or PLASMA screen. Thegame console 176 sends video to the monitor 108 via link 120 (e.g.,HDMI).

The audio subsystem 110 may be, for example, a headset, a combination ofheadset and audio basestation, or a set of speakers and accompanyingaudio processing circuitry. The game console 176 sends audio to thesubsystem 110 via link(s) 122 (e.g., S/PDIF for digital audio or “lineout” for analog audio). Additional details of an example audio subsystem110 are described below.

FIG. 1B depicts an example gaming audio subsystem comprising a headsetand an audio basestation. Shown is a headset 200 and an audiobasestation 300. The headset 200 communicates with the basestation 300via a link 180 and the basestation 300 communicates with the console 176via a link 122. The link 122 may be as described above. In an exampleimplementation, the link 180 may be a proprietary wireless linkoperating in an unlicensed frequency band. The headset 200 may be asdescribed below with reference to FIGS. 2A-2C. The basestation 300 maybe as described below with reference to FIGS. 3A-3B.

Referring to FIG. 1C, again shown is the console 176 connected to aplurality of peripheral devices and a network 106. The exampleperipheral devices shown include a monitor 108, a user interface device102, a headset 200, an audio basestation 300, and a multi-purpose device192.

The monitor 108 and user interface device 102 are as described above. Anexample implementation of the headset 200 is described below withreference to FIGS. 2A-2C. An example implementation of the audiobasestation is described below with reference to FIGS. 3A-3B.

The multi-purpose device 192 may be, for example, a tablet computer, asmartphone, a laptop computer, or the like and that runs an operatingsystem such as Android, Linux, Windows, iOS, OSX, or the like. Anexample implementation of the multi-purpose device 192 is describedbelow with reference to FIG. 4 . Hardware (e.g., a network adaptor) andsoftware (i.e., the operating system and one or more applications loadedonto the device 192) may configure the device 192 for operating as partof the GPN 190. For example, an application running on the device 192may cause display of a graphical user interface via which a user canaccess gaming-related data, commands, functions, parameter settings,etc. and via which the user can interact with the console 176 and theother devices of the GPN 190 to enhance his/her gaming experience.

The peripheral devices 102, 108, 192, 200, 300 are in communication withone another via a plurality of wired and/or wireless links (representedvisually by the placement of the devices in the cloud of GPN 190). Eachof the peripheral devices in the gaming peripheral network (GPN) 190 maycommunicate with one or more others of the peripheral devices in the GPN190 in a single-hop or multi-hop fashion. For example, the headset 200may communicate with the basestation 300 in a single hop (e.g., over aproprietary RF link) and with the device 192 in a single hop (e.g., overa Bluetooth or Wi-Fi direct link), while the tablet may communicate withthe basestation 300 in two hops via the headset 200. As another example,the user interface device 102 may communicate with the headset 200 in asingle hop (e.g., over a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi direct link) and with thedevice 192 in a single hop (e.g., over a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi directlink), while the device 192 may communicate with the headset 200 in twohops via the user interface device 102. These example interconnectionsamong the peripheral devices of the GPN 190 are merely examples, anynumber and/or types of links among the devices of the GPN 190 ispossible.

The GPN 190 may communicate with the console 176 via any one or more ofthe connections 114, 140, 122, and 120 described above. The GPN 190 maycommunicate with a network 106 via one or more links 194 each of whichmay be, for example, Wi-Fi, wired Ethernet, and/or the like.

A database 182 which stores gaming audio data is accessible via thenetwork 106. The gaming audio data may comprise, for example, signaturesof particular audio clips (e.g., individual sounds or collections orsequences of sounds) that are part of the game audio of particulargames, of particular levels/scenarios of particular games, particularcharacters of particular games, etc. In an example implementation, thedatabase 182 may comprise a plurality of records 183, where each record183 comprises an audio clip (or signature of the clip) 184, adescription of the clip 184 (e.g., the game it is from, when it occursin the game, etc.), one or more gaming commands 186 associated with theclip, one or more parameter settings 187 associated with the clip,and/or other data associated with the audio clip. Records 183 of thedatabase 182 may be downloadable to, or accessed in real-time by, one ofmore devices of the GPN 190.

Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, there is shown two views of an exampleheadset 200 that may present audio output by a gaming console such asthe console 176. The headset 200 comprises a headband 202, a microphoneboom 206 with microphone 204, ear cups 208 a and 208 b which surroundspeakers 216 a and 216 b, connector 210, connector 214, and usercontrols 212.

The connector 210 may be, for example, a 3.5 mm headphone socket forreceiving analog audio signals (e.g., receiving chat audio via an Xbox“talkback” cable).

The microphone 204 converts acoustic waves (e.g., the voice of theperson wearing the headset) to electric signals for processing bycircuitry of the headset and/or for output to a device (e.g., console176, basestation 300, a smartphone, and/or the like) that is incommunication with the headset.

The speakers 216 a and 216 b convert electrical signals to soundwaves.

The user controls 212 may comprise dedicated and/or programmablebuttons, switches, sliders, wheels, etc. for performing variousfunctions. Example functions which the controls 212 may be configured toperform include: power the headset 200 on/off, mute/unmute themicrophone 204, control gain/volume of, and/or effects applied to, chataudio by the audio processing circuitry of the headset 200, controlgain/volume of, and/or effects applied to, game audio by the audioprocessing circuitry of the headset 200, enable/disable/initiate pairing(e.g., via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi direct, or the like) with another computingdevice, and/or the like.

The connector 214 may be, for example, a USB port. The connector 214 maybe used for downloading data to the headset 200 from another computingdevice and/or uploading data from the headset 200 to another computingdevice. Such data may include, for example, parameter settings(described below). Additionally, or alternatively, the connector 214 maybe used for communicating with another computing device such as asmartphone, tablet compute, laptop computer, or the like.

FIG. 2C depicts a block diagram of the example headset 200. In additionto the connector 210, user controls 212, connector 214, microphone 204,and speakers 216 a and 216 b already discussed, shown are a radio 220, aCPU 222, a storage device 224, a memory 226, and an audio processingcircuit 230.

The radio 220 may comprise circuitry operable to communicate inaccordance with one or more standardized (such as, for example, the IEEE802.11 family of standards, the Bluetooth family of standards, and/orthe like) and/or proprietary wireless protocol(s) (e.g., a proprietaryprotocol for receiving audio from an audio basestation such as thebasestation 300).

The CPU 222 may comprise circuitry operable to execute instructions forcontrolling/coordinating the overall operation of the headset 200. Suchinstructions may be part of an operating system or state machine of theheadset 200 and/or part of one or more software applications running onthe headset 200. In some implementations, the CPU 222 may be, forexample, a programmable interrupt controller, a state machine, or thelike.

The storage device 224 may comprise, for example, FLASH or othernonvolatile memory for storing data which may be used by the CPU 222and/or the audio processing circuitry 230. Such data may include, forexample, parameter settings that affect processing of audio signals inthe headset 200 and parameter settings that affect functions performedby the user controls 212. For example, one or more parameter settingsmay determine, at least in part, a gain of one or more gain elements ofthe audio processing circuitry 230. As another example, one or moreparameter settings may determine, at least in part, a frequency responseof one or more filters that operate on audio signals in the audioprocessing circuitry 230. As another example, one or more parametersettings may determine, at least in part, whether and which soundeffects are added to audio signals in the audio processing circuitry 230(e.g., which effects to add to microphone audio to morph the user'svoice). Example parameter settings which affect audio processing aredescribed in the co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/040,144titled “Gaming Headset with Programmable Audio” and published asUS2012/0014553, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated herein byreference. Particular parameter settings may be selected autonomously bythe headset 200 in accordance with one or more algorithms, based on userinput (e.g., via controls 212), and/or based on input received via oneor more of the connectors 210 and 214.

The memory 226 may comprise volatile memory used by the CPU 230 and/oraudio processing circuit 230 as program memory, for storing runtimedata, etc.

The audio processing circuit 230 may comprise circuitry operable toperform audio processing functions such as volume/gain control,compression, decompression, encoding, decoding, introduction of audioeffects (e.g., echo, phasing, virtual surround effect, etc.), and/or thelike. As described above, the processing performed by the audioprocessing circuit 230 may be determined, at least in part, by whichparameter settings have been selected. The processing may be performedon game, chat, and/or microphone audio that is subsequently output tospeaker 216 a and 216 b. Additionally, or alternatively, the processingmay be performed on chat audio that is subsequently output to theconnector 210 and/or radio 220.

In an example implementation, the audio processing circuit 230 mayincorporate a voice morph controller 240, which may be configurable toperform and/or manage voice morphing during audio processing. With voicemorphing, a particular audio (e.g., microphone audio and/or player chataudio) may be modified to match a particular audio profile. The voicemorphing may be triggered manually/directly (e.g., based on userspecific input/command), and/or automatically/indirectly based on otherrelated actions/conditions (e.g., based on selection/assignment ofcharacter in gaming scenarios without the user having to provideseparate input for the configuration of the voice morphing).

For example, in gaming scenarios, the microphone audio may be morphed tomatch an audio profile corresponding to particular character in thegame. Accordingly, in an example use scenario, the headset 200 mayinitially determine which character in the game was selected by, or hadbeen assigned to, the player wearing the headset 200. In this regard,the headset 200 may determine the character based on informationreceived via a link (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct, or the like) to theconsole and/or to the application running on the multipurpose device192—e.g., a received signal may cause the application to indicate whenthe player has selected or been assigned a character and/or whichcharacter the player has been assigned. The preset audio profile maythen be sent to the headset 200—e.g., the console or application maysend the corresponding preset audio profile to the headset. Furthermore,in some instances, metadata associated with each character (e.g., in thegame/console itself and/or in the app) may contain information aboutvoice morph presets for the characters.

The voice morph controller 240 may then be configured to provide, duringaudio processing in the circuit 230, voice morphing such that particularaudio feeds (e.g., bursts of player microphone audio) may match an audioprofile associated with the character. For example, in instances wherethe headphone 200 is operating in voice morphing mode, the audioprocessing may be configured such that if a player selects a firstcharacter in the game which may typically be associated with loudness(e.g., person of authority), the player's voice would be morphed tomatch a corresponding representative audio profile (e.g., a loud angryvoice); whereas if the player selects another character in the gamewhich may typically characterized with stealth or quietness, theplayer's voice would be morphed to match a different correspondingrepresentative audio profile (e.g., a whisper voice). In some instances,some characters may lack corresponding preset audio profiles.Accordingly, the headset (e.g., via the voice morph controller 240) maydetermine ‘default’ audio profiles which may be utilized for suchcharacters lacking corresponding preset profiles.

In some instances, audio profiles for game characters may be stored (andbe retrievable) from centralized repositories. For example, a networkbased presets database (e.g., as part of the game audio DB 182) may beconfigured, which may be used to store voices and related informationfor particular games (or characters therein). Accordingly, during voicemorphing operations, voice morph presets for a particular game may bedownloaded from the database upon starting up that game andselection/assignment of character. The retrieval and/or download ofpreset audio profiles (and/or of audio samples or parameter settingscorresponding thereto) may be done automatically—i.e., without requiringthe users to take any additional steps. Rather, the retrieval and/ordownload may be triggered by other, normal activities—e.g., selection byor assignment to a player of particular character in a particular game.

FIG. 3A depicts two views of an example embodiment of the audiobasestation 300. The basestation 300 comprises status indicators 302,user controls 310, power port 324, and audio connectors 314, 316, 318,and 320.

The audio connectors 314 and 316 may comprise digital audio in anddigital audio out (e.g., S/PDIF) connectors, respectively. The audioconnectors 318 and 320 may comprise a left “line in” and a right “linein” connector, respectively. The controls 310 may comprise, for example,a power button, a button for enabling/disabling virtual surround sound,a button for adjusting the perceived angles of the speakers when thevirtual surround sound is enabled, and a dial for controlling avolume/gain of the audio received via the “line in” connectors 318 and320. The status indicators 302 may indicate, for example, whether theaudio basestation 300 is powered on, whether audio data is beingreceived by the basestation 300 via connectors 314, and/or what type ofaudio data (e.g., Dolby Digital) is being received by the basestation300.

FIG. 3B depicts a block diagram of the audio basestation 300. Inaddition to the user controls 310, indicators 302, and connectors 314,316, 318, and 320 described above, the block diagram additionally showsa CPU 322, a storage device 324, a memory 326, a radio 320, an audioprocessing circuit 330, and a radio 332.

The radio 320 comprises circuitry operable to communicate in accordancewith one or more standardized (such as the IEEE 802.11 family ofstandards, the Bluetooth family of standards, and/or the like) and/orproprietary (e.g., proprietary protocol for receiving audio protocolsfor receiving audio from a console such as the console 176.) wirelessprotocols.

The radio 332 comprises circuitry operable to communicate in accordancewith one or more standardized (such as, for example, the IEEE 802.11family of standards, the Bluetooth family of standards, and/or the like)and/or proprietary wireless protocol(s) (e.g., a proprietary protocolfor transmitting audio to headphones 200).

The CPU 322 comprises circuitry operable to execute instructions forcontrolling/coordinating the overall operation of the audio basestation300. Such instructions may be part of an operating system or statemachine of the audio basestation 300 and/or part of one or more softwareapplications running on the audio basestation 300. In someimplementations, the CPU 322 may be, for example, a programmableinterrupt controller, a state machine, or the like.

The storage 324 may comprise, for example, FLASH or other nonvolatilememory for storing data which may be used by the CPU 322 and/or theaudio processing circuitry 330. Such data may include, for example,parameter settings that affect processing of audio signals in thebasestation 300. For example, one or more parameter settings maydetermine, at least in part, a gain of one or gain elements of the audioprocessing circuitry 330. As another example, one or more parametersettings may determine, at least in part, a frequency response of one ormore filters that operate on audio signals in the audio processingcircuitry 330. As another example, one or more parameter settings maydetermine, at least in part, whether and which sound effects are addedto audio signals in the audio processing circuitry 330 (e.g., whicheffects to add to microphone audio to morph the user's voice). Exampleparameter settings which affect audio processing are described in theco-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/040,144 titled “GamingHeadset with Programmable Audio” and published as US2012/0014553, theentirety of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. Particularparameter settings may be selected autonomously by the basestation 300in accordance with one or more algorithms, based on user input (e.g.,via controls 310), and/or based on input received via one or more of theconnectors 314, 316, 318, and 320.

The memory 326 may comprise volatile memory used by the CPU 322 and/oraudio processing circuit 330 as program memory, for storing runtimedata, etc.

The audio processing circuit 330 may comprise circuitry operable toperform audio processing functions such as volume/gain control,compression, decompression, encoding, decoding, introduction of audioeffects (e.g., echo, phasing, virtual surround effect, etc.), and/or thelike. As described above, the processing performed by the audioprocessing circuit 330 may be determined, at least in part, by whichparameter settings have been selected. The processing may be performedon game and/or chat audio signals that are subsequently output to adevice (e.g., headset 200) in communication with the basestation 300.Additionally, or alternatively, the processing may be performed on amicrophone audio signal that is subsequently output to a device (e.g.,console 176) in communication with the basestation 300.

In an example implementation, the audio processing circuit 330 maycomprise a voice morph controller 340, which may be configurable toperform and/or manage voice morphing. In this regard, the voice morphingperformed in the basestation 300 (provided by the voice morph controller340) may be substantially similar to the voice morphing in the voicemorphing in the headset 200 (provided, mainly, by the voice morphcontroller 240), as described with respect to FIG. 1C for example.

FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of an example multi-purpose device 192.The example multi-purpose device 192 comprises a an applicationprocessor 402, memory subsystem 404, a cellular/GPS networking subsystem406, sensors 408, power management subsystem 410, LAN subsystem 412, busadaptor 414, user interface subsystem 416, and audio processor 418.

The application processor 402 comprises circuitry operable to executeinstructions for controlling/coordinating the overall operation of themulti-purpose device 192 as well as graphics processing functions of themulti-purpose device 402. Such instructions may be part of an operatingsystem of the console and/or part of one or more software applicationsrunning on the console.

The memory subsystem 404 comprises volatile memory for storing runtimedata, nonvolatile memory for mass storage and long-term storage, and/ora memory controller which controls reads writes to memory.

The cellular/GPS networking subsystem 406 comprises circuitry operableto perform baseband processing and analog/RF processing for transmissionand reception of cellular and GPS signals.

The sensors 408 comprise, for example, a camera, a gyroscope, anaccelerometer, a biometric sensor, and/or the like.

The power management subsystem 410 comprises circuitry operable tomanage distribution of power among the various components of themulti-purpose device 192.

The LAN subsystem 412 comprises circuitry operable to perform basebandprocessing and analog/RF processing for transmission and reception ofcellular and GPS signals.

The bus adaptor 414 comprises circuitry for interfacing one or moreinternal data busses of the multi-purpose device with an external bus(e.g., a Universal Serial Bus) for transferring data to/from themulti-purpose device via a wired connection.

The user interface subsystem 416 comprises circuitry operable to controland relay signals to/from a touchscreen, hard buttons, and/or otherinput devices of the multi-purpose device 192.

The audio processor 418 comprises circuitry to process (e.g., digital toanalog conversion, analog-to-digital conversion, compression,decompression, encryption, decryption, resampling, etc.) audio signals.The audio processor 418 may be operable to receive and/or output signalsvia a connector such as a 3.5 mm stereo and microphone connector.

FIG. 5A depicts a block diagram illustrating an example voice morphcircuit with built-in analyzer. Referring to FIG. 5A, there is shown avoice morph circuit 500.

The voice morph circuit 500 may comprise circuitry for use in performingvoice morphing. In this regard, the voice morph circuit 500 may beincorporated into a suitable audio system, such as in a headset (e.g.,the headset 200) or a basestation (e.g., the basestation 300), to enableproviding voice morphing functions therein. Accordingly, the voice morphcircuit 500 may correspond to (at least portion of) the voice morphingcomponents 240 and 340. In gaming scenarios, the voice morph circuit 500may be utilized to morph players voices (e.g., bursts of microphoneaudio during gameplay), such as to match characters used by the players.Typically voice morphing of each of the players may be performed on themicrophone audio of the player's respective device (e.g., respectiveheadset 200). Where separate players' voices in the chat audio can bedistinguished (e.g., because the different player's microphone audioarrive via different links, in packets with unique identifiers, etc.),however, voice morphing (or un-morphing—i.e., returning a morphed voiceback to the player's natural voice) may be performed on received chataudio. In such an instance, in an example implementation, morphing (orun-morphing) of multiple players' voices may be performed in a singledevice (e.g., basestation 300) as opposed to each player's voice beingmorphed in a respective device (e.g., each player's headset 200 morphingonly its own microphone audio).

In the example implementation shown in FIG. 5A, the voice morph circuit500 may comprise an audio adjuster sub-circuit 510, which may beconfigured to adjust an input audio (e.g., corresponding to voice ofuser of a system incorporating the voice morph circuit 500). In thisregard, the input audio may be adjusted by the audio adjustersub-circuit 510 based on audio adjustment related parameter settings,which may be inputted into the audio adjuster sub-circuit 510.Accordingly, the audio adjuster sub-circuit 510 may adjust the inputaudio (e.g., user voice), by morphing it, using the parameter settings,to match a preset audio profile (e.g., corresponding to a gamecharacter). The parameter settings may correspond to and/or facilitatesetting of audio components such as volume, pitch, or tone. Theparameter settings may be obtained or retrieved by the voice morphcircuit 500, such as from local source (e.g., the game console orstorage 224 of the headset, where they would have been previouslystored) or from a remote resource (e.g., a database, such as thedatabase 182). Alternatively, the parameter settings may be inputted orset directly by the player. In this regard, the player may use priorknowledge of desired audio parameters (e.g., the audio parametersassociated with particular game characters), or in instances where theplayer may lack prior knowledge, the player (e.g., the player does nothave any audio of the voice the player wants), the player may justadjust available audio parameters (e.g., using suitable interface orcontrol means such as, for example, the interface described withreference to FIG. 8 of above-incorporated U.S. patent application Ser.No. 13/040,144) until obtaining the desired (morphed) voice. In suchscenarios, the selected parameters may be associated with a particularcharacter of a particular game (and possibly stored, such as in the gameconsole and/or by uploading them to a remote database). Then thoseparameters can be manually or auto loaded upon starting that game andselecting that character.

In operation, the voice morph circuit 500 may be utilized to performvoice morphing (or audio morphing in general). In this regard, in voicemorphing, an audio (e.g., corresponding to player's microphone audio)may be altered or modified to match a particular audio (voice) profile.For example, in gaming scenarios, the audio profile to be matched maycorrespond to or be associated with a particular game character. In anexample use scenario, the voice morph circuit 500 may receive parametersettings (e.g., directly from player, from game console, or from remotedatabase) for use in morphing the input audio, to match particular(preset) audio profile. In this regard, the parameter settings mayenable controlling and/or adjusting, for example, audio pitch, audiointensity, and audio tone of the morphed audio. The parameter settingsmay comprise, e.g., signal frequency settings, signal phase settings,signal gain settings, filter bandwidth and/or filter shape settings,and/or the like. Accordingly, when an input audio (e.g., microphoneaudio) is received by the voice morph circuit 500, the input audio isfed into the audio adjuster sub-circuit 510, which may then process theinput audio, based on the parameter settings, to modify the input audiosuch that it may match the characteristics (pitch, tone, etc.) of thepreset audio profile. Accordingly, the output audio (of the voice morphcircuit 500) may comprise a morphed copy of the input audio such that itwould match characteristics of the preset audio profile.

FIG. 5B depicts a block diagram illustrating an example voice morphcircuit with built-in analyzer. Referring to FIG. 5B, there is shown avoice morph circuit 550.

The voice morph circuit 550, like the circuit 500 of FIG. 5A, maycomprise circuitry for use in performing voice morphing, and may beincorporated into a suitable audio system, such as in a headset (e.g.,the headset 200) or a basestation (e.g., the basestation 300), to enableproviding voice morphing functions therein. Accordingly, the voice morphcircuit 550 may also correspond to (at least portion of) the voicemorphing components 240 and 340, and be utilized in performing voicemorphing (or morphing of audio content in general), including in gamingscenarios, as described with respect to FIG. 5A for example.

In the example implementation shown in FIG. 5B, the voice morph circuit550 may comprise an audio adjuster sub-circuit 560 and an audio analyzersub-circuit 570. The audio analyzer sub-circuit 570 may be configured toanalyze a particular reference audio, and generate information (e.g.,parameter settings) pertaining to the reference audio (e.g., pitch,volume, tone, or the like) and/or pertaining to audio signals (phase,frequency, shift, or the like). For example, the reference audioanalyzed via the audio analyzer sub-circuit 570 may correspond to avoice of, or to be used for, a particular game character. In thisregard, the reference audio (corresponding to the game character) may beretrieved from a database (e.g., the database 182).

The audio adjuster sub-circuit 560 may be substantially similar to theaudio adjuster sub-circuit 510 of FIG. 5A. In this regard, the audioadjuster sub-circuit 560 may be configured to adjust an input audio(e.g., corresponding to voice of user of a system incorporating thevoice morph circuit 550), such as based on parameter settings. In thevoice morph circuit 550, however, the parameter setting utilized in theaudio adjusting operations may be generated by the audio analyzersub-circuit 570, such as based on analysis of the reference audio.Accordingly, the audio adjuster sub-circuit 560 may adjust the inputaudio (e.g., user voice), by morphing it to match the reference audio(e.g., the game character), such that an output audio would have similarcharacteristics as the reference audio.

In operation, the voice morph circuit 550 may be utilized to performvoice morphing (or audio morphing in general). In voice morphing, audio(e.g., corresponding to player's microphone audio) may be altered ormodified to match a particular audio (voice) profile. For example, ingaming scenarios, the audio profile to be matched may correspond to, orbe associated with, a particular game character. In an example usescenario, a reference audio input may be fed into the audio analyzersub-circuit 570. The reference audio input may, for example, compriseone or more recorded audio clips of a voice that is desired to beassociated with a particular game character. The audio analyzersub-circuit 570 may analyze the reference audio to extract/generatecorresponding parameter settings for input to the audio adjuster 560.The parameter settings may enable controlling and/or adjusting, forexample, audio pitch, audio intensity, and audio tone of the morphedaudio. The parameter settings may comprise, e.g., signal frequencysettings, signal phase settings, signal gain settings, filter bandwidthand/or filter shape settings, and/or the like. When an input audio(e.g., microphone audio) is received by the voice morph circuit 550, theinput audio is fed into the audio adjuster sub-circuit 560. In addition,the parameter settings, resulting from analysis of the reference audiovia the audio analyzer sub-circuit 570, are fed into the audio adjustersub-circuit 560. The audio adjuster sub-circuit 560 may then process theinput audio based on the parameter settings to modify the input audiosuch that it may match the characteristics (pitch etc.) of the referenceaudio. Accordingly, the output audio (of the voice morph circuit 550)may comprise a morphed copy of the input audio such that it would matchcharacteristics of the reference audio (corresponding to preset audioprofile).

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for configuringheadset voice morph based on player assignment. Referring to FIG. 6 ,there is shown a flow chart 600, comprising a plurality of examplesteps.

In starting step 602, a headset (e.g., the headset 200) may be operatingnormally—i.e., in non-voice morph mode, that is microphone audio outputby the headset may sound substantially similar to the voice of theplayer speaking into the headset (i.e., other players would easilyrecognize the voice as being the player's voice). In step 604, voicemorphing may be triggered, and the headset may transition to voice morphmode. The triggering of the voice morphing may be direct (e.g., based onPlayer's express request), or indirect, such as, in gaming scenarios forexample, based on selection or assignment of particular game characterto a player utilizing/wearing the headset.

In step 606, a reference audio may be determined (e.g., a present audioprofile associated with the selected/assigned game character).Furthermore, the reference audio (or a sample thereof) may be, ifnecessary, obtained. In this regard, the reference audio may beretrieved from a local source (e.g., game console), or from remotesource, such as from a preset database which may be accessible by theheadset, directly or via the game console, via network link(s). In step608, the reference audio (sample) may be analyzed, such as to determinecharacteristics thereof and/or parameter settings related thereto (e.g.,pitch, volume, shift, etc.). In this regard, the determinedcharacteristics and/or parameter settings may be utilized during voicemorphing, such as by adjusting characteristics and/or parameter settingsof particular audio (voice) based thereon, to match the audio (voice) tothe reference audio. In some instances, steps 608 and 610 may bebypassed. For example, rather than obtaining and analyzing referenceaudio, parameter settings used in controlling and/or enabling the audiomorphing may be input directly or retrieved from a source (local orremote). In other words, rather than generating the parameter settingsby analyzing reference audio, these parameter settings may be useddirectly.

In step 610, when the player speaks into microphone, the correspondingaudio burst is processed, with the processing comprising morphing theburst (i.e. modifying to match the reference audio), and the morphedaudio burst is then transmitted (e.g., to network/gaming server).

The present method and/or system may be realized in hardware, software,or a combination of hardware and software. The present methods and/orsystems may be realized in a centralized fashion in at least onecomputing system, or in a distributed fashion where different elementsare spread across several interconnected computing systems. Any kind ofcomputing system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methodsdescribed herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware andsoftware may be a general-purpose computing system with a program orother code that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computingsystem such that it carries out the methods described herein. Anothertypical implementation may comprise an application specific integratedcircuit or chip. Some implementations may comprise a non-transitorymachine-readable (e.g., computer readable) medium (e.g., FLASH drive,optical disk, magnetic storage disk, or the like) having stored thereonone or more lines of code executable by a machine, thereby causing themachine to perform processes as described herein.

While the present method and/or system has been described with referenceto certain implementations, it will be understood by those skilled inthe art that various changes may be made and equivalents may besubstituted without departing from the scope of the present methodand/or system. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt aparticular situation or material to the teachings of the presentdisclosure without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intendedthat the present method and/or system not be limited to the particularimplementations disclosed, but that the present method and/or systemwill include all implementations falling within the scope of theappended claims.

1-21. (canceled)
 22. A system comprising: one or more circuitsconfigured to: obtain reference data; process the reference data; anddetermine, based on the processing of the reference data, one or moreaudio control settings for adjusting audio in the system, wherein atleast one of the one or more audio control settings is configured toadjust or modify a voice associated with a user of the system.
 23. Thesystem of claim 22, wherein the one or more circuits are configured toapply the one or more audio control settings to audio generated orhandled in the system during operation of the system by the user. 24.The system of claim 22, wherein the one or more circuits are configuredto determine the one or more audio control settings based on anoperation criterion associated with the operation of the system by theuser.
 25. The system of claim 22, wherein the one or more circuits areconfigured to select the one or more audio control settings based oninformation associated with the operation of the system by the user. 26.The system of claim 22, wherein the one or more circuits are configuredto determine the one or more audio control settings based on informationobtained from a database associated with the operation of the system bythe user.
 27. The system of claim 22, wherein the one or more circuitsare configured to obtain the reference data from a database associatedwith the operation of the system by the user.
 28. The system of claim22, wherein the reference data comprises a reference audio, and whereinthe one or more circuits are configured to process the reference audioto determine at least one of the one or more audio control settingsbased on characteristics and/or parameters of the reference audio. 29.The system of claim 28, wherein the reference audio comprises one ormore recorded audio clips of a voice desired to be associated with aparticular game character, and wherein the one or more circuits areconfigured to set at least one of the one or more audio control settingssuch that a voice audio associated with the particular game charactermatches the voice.
 30. The system of claim 22, wherein the one or morecircuits are configured to determine, based on the one or more audiocontrol settings, one or more sound effect adjustments.
 31. The systemof claim 30, wherein the one or more circuits are configured to modify,based on the one or more sound effect adjustments, an output audioprovided to the user during the operation of the system by the user. 32.A method for managing audio in in an audio system configured to outputaudio to a user, the method comprising: obtaining reference data;processing the reference data; and determining, based on the processingof the reference data, one or more audio control settings for adjustingaudio in the audio system, wherein at least one of the one or more audiocontrol settings is configured to adjust or modify a voice associatedwith a user of the audio system.
 33. The method of claim 32, furthercomprising applying the one or more audio control settings to audiogenerated or handled in the audio system during operation of the audiosystem by the user.
 34. The method of claim 32, further comprisingdetermining the one or more audio control settings based on an operationcriterion associated with the operation of the audio system by the user.35. The method of claim 32, further comprising selecting the one or moreaudio control settings based on information associated with theoperation of the audio system by the user.
 36. The method of claim 32,further comprising determining the one or more audio control settingsbased on information obtained from a database associated with theoperation of the audio system by the user.
 37. The method of claim 32,further comprising obtaining the reference data from a databaseassociated with the operation of the audio system by the user.
 38. Themethod of claim 32, wherein the reference data comprises a referenceaudio, and further comprising processing the reference audio todetermine at least one of the one or more audio control settings basedon characteristics and/or parameters of the reference audio.
 39. Themethod of claim 38, wherein the reference audio comprises one or morerecorded audio clips of a voice desired to be associated with aparticular game character, and further comprising setting or adjustingat least one of the one or more audio control settings such that a voiceaudio associated with the particular game character matches the voice.40. The method of claim 32, further comprising determining, based on theone or more audio control settings, one or more sound effectadjustments.
 41. The method of claim 40, further comprising modifying,based on the one or more sound effect adjustments, an output audioprovided to the user during the operation of the audio system by theuser.
 42. The method of claim 32, wherein the one or more audio controlsettings comprise parameters relating to one or more of audio pitch,audio intensity, and audio tone.